Post by ₪» ⅀ ƪ Ƒ «₪ on Jan 16, 2018 12:43:21 GMT -8
I have decided to simplify my request in case the complicated wording and thoughts are deterring. This is now a straightforward step-by-step of what I would love to have.
Looking for: A plugin for my roleplaying forum that allows members to assign their character accounts a specific outfit for each thread they are in.
How it works:
Needed features:
If someone else wants this plugin, they can jump in and make any requests for features I didn't ask for, I don't mind.
Original Post:
My ideal would be idea 2, the outfit history, and the tab option. I completely understand if only idea 1, no outfit history, and the field option are the only things feasible. =3
I also know that no one is really taking on codes right now so I'll just dutifully bump and if I need to wait for V6, that's okay, I can sit on my hands, I totally get not wanting to create code that you'll just have to change when V6 comes around. If anyone has interest, feel free to ask questions, I spent about 1.5 hours trying to write this out in a comprehensible way but that doesn't mean I succeeded.
Edit: Sorry! Realized I put this in the wrong board originally. Reposted here and old one deleted lol[/spoiler]
Looking for: A plugin for my roleplaying forum that allows members to assign their character accounts a specific outfit for each thread they are in.
How it works:
- When in the posting page, I would make a tab where preview / UBBC are that says "outfits." This is the current row of "tabs" (they just look like links) so it would fit in there:
- When you click "outfits," it expands downward with my intro text and the outfit options. Now, I am basing this request off of Peter's template code. The way he did it was he gave me a specific class I could use in my layout templates to make the tab appear and another class for where I wanted the content to appear. That way, I could deal with formatting and placing everything- that is how I made the tab match the others and how I made the expandable section and intro text. So I am more than happy with having classes so I do the formatting myself.
- I'd love the actual outfit content to look similar to how Peter made the template content look as well. Here are a few filled-out templates for reference:
As you can see, there is a "no preview" blank template there at all times. The other 2 are something I manually entered. Similarly to this, I would like there to be a blank one where I can enter my 1st outfit, then the outfits accrue as I add them and the blank field is moved over.
Just like his template plugin, I'd like the outfit selection options in the posting page to be represented by the outfit image, so they can simply browse through the pictures of their outfit history and select one instead of having to open links or anything like that. - The options for filling out a new outfit would be linking to an image and a small text box. Obviously save and delete would also be good lol
- An outfit is optional. So they don't have to apply one. But if they do, then they just select which outfit they want, whether it is one from their history or a new one they enter. I am fine with any method of selecting an outfit; clicking the picture, clicking the edge of the box, clicking a button in the box, whatever.
- Once an outfit is selected, it floats next to the post on the right side in the post list. I made an example of how this would appear, including format and everything:
- The outfit floating next to the post list would have the image of the outfit they entered and, below it, any text they had entered if they did. The formatting of how the text shows up would be something I would set globally. The image of the outfit would be small obviously; if you hover over the image, it would show the larger version that the user actually put in instead of the thumbnail. You can also click the image to make a target="_blank" link open of the full image. This would work basically exactly the same as proboards attachments do.
- I would have the outfit height restricted with the width able to fluctuate within reason to keep the dimensions from warping. So, in the code I would set a specific height for the height but a max and min width for the width. I would also set a max height with overflow auto on the text box, so that it begins scrolling after a certain height. Using this method, I would keep the outfits always functional because the overall box would always be shorter than my mini-profiles, so there would never be any issue with the outfit being taller than the post it is attached to.
Needed features:
- Ability to put the tab and the content where I need to in the posting page. A simple class name works best but I am open to anything easier/more possible.
- Ability to format how the text looks beneath the outfit image in the post list. CSS class names to fiddle with would be nice? But the formatting would be basic. Font family, color, text alignment, font size, text decoration, the simple stuff. The outfit text should be optional, letting them add only the image if they desire.
- The entire outfit setup should be optional, not mandatory. They don't NEED to equip an outfit when they post.
- Ability to make this appear only in certain categories and for certain membergroups.
- History for the outfits; they should be remembered once entered and saved. I am fine with any amount of keys needed, go to town with them, I have forums.net and keys are unlimited. I am also fine with this relying on cookies if that NEEDS to happen. I'd love for it to have a pretty good memory since people will probably have a lot of outfits, so I'd love to go with whichever option gives them the most storage space. Also, the outfits should be stored per account.
- Once an outfit is chosen, it is set for that thread alone. It does not affect any other threads. By default, no outfit is chosen when you go to post in a new thread for the first time. If no outfit is chosen, simply nothing shows next to the post in the post list, it just looks normal. This is similar to the individual mini-profile stats plugin that Todge made me here. It should be possible to edit / swap / remove the outfit from the thread, but if you don't touch it, it should stay in the post list even if you edit your post. Basically, it shouldn't disappear from the thread unless you intentionally go to fiddle with it.
- I am okay with the outfit only appearing in the 1st post that the account makes in the thread or if it appears alongside every post. Whatever is easier/possible. Ideally, I'd prefer it appear in every post they make in that thread.
- Ability to set the height for the outfit picture and the min and max width for the picture. Ability to set the max height with overflow auto for the text.
If someone else wants this plugin, they can jump in and make any requests for features I didn't ask for, I don't mind.
Original Post:
I apologize that it is so lengthy. I have a hard time not rambling but I'll try to be as clear as I can be!
Reason
My forum is a roleplay forum where the characters are humans. It can be really hard to visualize what a character is wearing based on writing and I think knowing what the other characters you're writing with are wearing is an important part in figuring out how to respond sometimes. So, when they begin to roleplay, I'd love if they could put in an image of what their character is wearing for that thread for people to reference. I do know I could have members add images themselves but.. well, we all know how members can be with following/remembering to follow rules I have written in some random rules thread somewhere vs. seeing it every time they go to make a roleplay post. xD I also like how professional and neat it is to have a field and standardized format for it, versus them adding it as a little written note at the bottom of their post. I also know I could use custom profile fields but those would be forum-wide and I need this to be thread-specific, so they can wear different outfits in different threads at the same time.
Technical
When they begin a roleplaying thread, I would love if they could put an image link into a field somewhere in the posting page that will automatically insert that image into the thread in a default formatted way, then carry it through every post in that thread. I am also fine if it only shows up in their 1st post in a thread only, that doesn't make much of a difference if it's too hard to have in every post. I have 2 thoughts on how it would work in the post itself:
Features
[/ul]Reason
My forum is a roleplay forum where the characters are humans. It can be really hard to visualize what a character is wearing based on writing and I think knowing what the other characters you're writing with are wearing is an important part in figuring out how to respond sometimes. So, when they begin to roleplay, I'd love if they could put in an image of what their character is wearing for that thread for people to reference. I do know I could have members add images themselves but.. well, we all know how members can be with following/remembering to follow rules I have written in some random rules thread somewhere vs. seeing it every time they go to make a roleplay post. xD I also like how professional and neat it is to have a field and standardized format for it, versus them adding it as a little written note at the bottom of their post. I also know I could use custom profile fields but those would be forum-wide and I need this to be thread-specific, so they can wear different outfits in different threads at the same time.
Technical
When they begin a roleplaying thread, I would love if they could put an image link into a field somewhere in the posting page that will automatically insert that image into the thread in a default formatted way, then carry it through every post in that thread. I am also fine if it only shows up in their 1st post in a thread only, that doesn't make much of a difference if it's too hard to have in every post. I have 2 thoughts on how it would work in the post itself:
- Idea 1 is to have it inserted as a text link somewhere in the thread area and then, if you hover over it, it'll show you a small preview of the image and if you click on it then it'll open a new tab with the normal full-size image.
- Idea 2 is, instead of appearing in the actual post, it appeared next to the relevant post in the forum wrapper as a small thumbnail of the image. So you can see the outfit without having to click a text link and it's separate from the post itself, which I just love the aesthetic of. Then if you click the small thumbnail, it'll take you to the big version in another tab. This example wasn't made for this plugin concept and it wasn't made by me, but I saw it recently and I really liked how it looked having the small boxes float next to the post, so here is a visual for what I mean when I say floating alongside it in the forum wrapper: i.imgur.com/Z0g6w6Z.png
Problems presented in the original thread where this example was posted, even though the plugin concept wasn't the same, were 1) what if they add too many boxes and it gets too long? for us, it would only be 1 image, so that isn't a concern. 2) what if that image were so big it would still make it too long? shouldn't be a problem because I would set the image height restriction to less than the length of our mini-profiles, and the post can't be shorter than the mini-profiles. Talking about image size restrictions is further down in the features list. =3
If idea 2 is too difficult or undesired, then the text link in the post is also fine, of course! I do prefer idea 2 but recognize it may be too difficult or impractical.
Features
- If idea 1 is used, then the ability to insert the image insert field where I desire in the posting page layout template.
- If idea 1 is used, ability to name the field (or tab, if the below idea is used a few bullets down) as I desire. This also lets it be more useful for people who want to use this plugin but not for outfits like I do =3
- can restrict based on group and board (or category, if that's easier, board/category would achieve the same effect for me)
- I'd like to add instructions, too, so people know what the heck it is for, but I wouldn't want the instructions to show if it's in a board or group that doesn't have this plugin running. So instructions will probably need to be a part of the actual plugin, unfortunately. Full CSS control would be fantastic =D
- it should be optional, never mandatory =3 unless someone else posts here with interest in the plugin and asks for a way to make it mandatory in the plugin, that's fine, I don't care if other people would like to jump in. Just as long as I can make it optional, at least
- If idea 1 is used, then the ability to place the inserted text link for the image in the post layout template where I'd like, so I can fully customize how it looks and where it goes. As in, letting me figure out where it shows and how it looks in the actual post itself.
- If idea 2 is used, then the ability to set image dimension maximums would be great. My thoughts are setting a maximum pixel limit for whichever side is longest, height or width, and whichever side is shorter will resize to whatever is needed to keep the image's dimension ratio without warping. So if it's a side-to-side rectangular image, it can't be wider than, say, 150px or something, and height just adjusts to keep the ratio. If it were a vertical rectangle, where its height would be a larger number, so that would be the one that's restricted by a max of say 150px and the width would be the one that adjusts to keep the ratio. Hopefully... that makes sense. x.x
- it would be very cool if the plugin could remember outfits you've used in the past so if you decide to re-use an outfit, you can just go to your history of outfits and select one of them. I understand if this isn't feasible. I am okay with any number of keys needed because my site is forums.net and keys are included.
- Alternative idea to an image input text field being in the posting page!
My posting page has a setup like this:
Attachment Deleted
If the potential coder is comfortable adding the history of outfits like I talked about in the last bullet point, then it would be awesome if the history of outfits could be kept in a tab after those 3 you see in the screenshot above. Right now, I have "Write" which is the normal BBCode mode (I removed preview), then notes and templates by Peter. A 4th one for "outfits" would be freakin' awesome. Instead of taking over the posting page, it could do what I have my "templates" tab set to to do, which expands downward when clicked instead of replacing the posting page, if that helps with the space? Cuz then it can stretch as much as it needs to below the post without stretching the post textbox and making it a pain to switch back to the writing tab because you have to scroll all the way down to hit "write" and then all the way back up to where the textbox shrinks to. If that doesn't make sense, I can give you access to my site to see what the "templates" tab does right now.
To clarify, in case I'm not making any sense: - You would select "outfits" down below, next to write, notes, and templates.
- It would expand downward, showing you the instruction at the top and then all of the outfits you have used so far.
- The outfits would be small thumbnails so you can scroll through them easily.
- Then you would click one of the images and it would be considered selected. This would be the image that is inserted into your post, using idea 1 or idea 2.
- You could only choose 1 outfit. If you want to change outfits, you simply click a different one. The selected one would probably have an outline and checkmark, per normal selected format.
- If you don't want to use an old outfit or you don't have any old outfits yet, there would be an area in there where you could link in a new image to be added. This is very similar to the posting templates plugin here. Though it is formatted differently than I currently have mine, this screenshot at least shows how the templates appear in their container (my container is below the posting page and expands when clicked but is otherwise collaped, whereas in this example it is on the side of the posting page, but the posting templates look the same since that's the actual plugin).
My ideal would be idea 2, the outfit history, and the tab option. I completely understand if only idea 1, no outfit history, and the field option are the only things feasible. =3
I also know that no one is really taking on codes right now so I'll just dutifully bump and if I need to wait for V6, that's okay, I can sit on my hands, I totally get not wanting to create code that you'll just have to change when V6 comes around. If anyone has interest, feel free to ask questions, I spent about 1.5 hours trying to write this out in a comprehensible way but that doesn't mean I succeeded.
Edit: Sorry! Realized I put this in the wrong board originally. Reposted here and old one deleted lol[/spoiler]
